True Face

"You've meddled in something far beyond your understanding. And now, you'll pay the price." The priest's voice resonated through the eerie chamber, his crimson eyes burning brighter as they reflected the red coloured glow of the torches. 

As soon the kids heard the voice of the priest, the children's reacted more terrified and started fumbling. The muffled cries of the blindfolded children filled the silence. They struggled weakly against their locked hands and blindfolded eyes for what is happening around them. 

I stood unfazed, my hands casually in my pockets, watching the priest with a calmness that only seemed to provoke him further. He folded his arms behind his back, mimicking the posture of a dignified preacher, though the sinister smile curling his lips was showing his fake facade. 

"I am sorry, Miss Hina, that you had to witness all this," he said, shifting his gaze to her. His voice softened, but his words dripped with malice. "But sadly... I have to say goodbye to you as well." 

Hina's wide eyes darted to the restrained children and back to the priest. She clutched her hands at her chest as she picked herself up, her voice trembling but her anger was giving her energy to speak. "What are you even doing?! Do you have any idea?!!" 

The priest chuckled, his red aura pulsating as he raised his hands to the heavens—or rather, to the looming statue of Lord Malokos outside the room. His voice deepened with reverence. 

"I am offering their souls to the one and only, our precious deity: Lord Malokos. He is my savior. Through his blessings, I've gained power I never dreamed of in all my years of servitude!" 

He flexed his arms as if to demonstrate the power coursing through his veins. A fiery crimson glow flared from them, casting ominous shadows across the room. 

"YOU'RE KILLING INNOCENT CHILDREN!!!" Hina shouted, taking a step ahead, her trembling hand gripping the hilt of her sword tightly. 

"It's called a necessary sacrifice, my dear," the priest said without a shred of remorse. "Through their sacrifice, Lord Malokos blesses me with strength and glory. You should be proud to witness this sacred—" 

"Sacred?" Hina cut him off, her voice rising with anger. "You're insane!" 

The priest's expression didn't waver. "Insane? No, child. Enlightened. Lord Malokos is our savior. I never thought I would see the light again in my miserable, powerless lif—" 

Sighhhhhhhhhhhh... 

My loud, exaggerated sigh sliced through his monologue, silencing the room. The priest's eyes snapped to me, startled, while Hina turned her gaze toward me, confused. 

I scratched the back of my head lazily, looking at the priest with an expression of utter boredom. "You done?" I asked, my voice flat and unimpressed. 

The priest blinked, clearly not expecting the interruption. "What did you just say?" he asked, his tone laced with disbelief. 

I took a step forward, my posture relaxed, my expression unchanged. "Malokos this, Malokos that... Blah, blah, blah." I yawned dramatically, waving a hand in the air. "Seriously, stop blabbering and wasting my time. I'd like to go home and sleep. So can we just...you know..make this quick?" 

The room fell silent for a moment. Even the children seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere, their muffled cries fading into quiet whimpers. 

The priest's expression darkened. His lips curled into a sinister grin, revealing sharp teeth. 

"Very well," he growled, his voice deepening into something guttural and monstrous. 

Before our eyes, his body began to twist and contort unnaturally. His arms elongated, and his hands morphed into grotesque claws. His human features melted away as devilish face with a dripping saliva came out and a black mark sprouted on his forehead, his skin turning a deep shade of crimson. The red aura around him intensified, swirling like a storm. 

His eyes glowed brighter than ever. "You asked for this," he snarled, his voice now a distorted growl. "I'll make it quick for you... as you requested."

I stepped forward, closing the distance between us. My expression remained indifferent, my hands still buried in my pockets. "Please, be 

my guest," I said coolly, gesturing with a slight tilt of my head. 

The priest's lips twitched, his claws flexing as he prepared to strike. But before he could make a move, I slowly removed my hands from my pockets. 

The air around me shifted. A faint black mist began to swirl at my fingertips, gathering into a dense, crackling energy. I opened my palm slightly, and from the darkness emerged a weapon—a dagger with a dragon-shaped hilt, its black blade gleaming menacingly in the red light. Polished as new with the handle that had a black leather grip to it. 

The priest hesitated, his monstrous form towering over me. His fiery eyes narrowed as he took in the sight of the weapon. "What... is that?" he asked, his voice tinged with unease. 

I smirked, gripping the hilt firmly as the black aura around me began to crackle and pulse. "Oh, don't worry. You'll find out soon enough." 

The tension in the room was increasing, the crackling energy from my blade resonating with the priest's crimson aura. Hina, who had been standing frozen in shock, finally found her voice. 

"Esther..." she whispered, her voice shaky. "What are you?" 

She stood frozen, her gaze fixed on my back. There was something about the way I carried myself—steady, unyielding, showing confidence that showed no fear. My long hair swayed gently, but her eyes caught on something else—the dagger in my hand. She had never seen it before, its blade glinting faintly in the dim light, it's alive with the ominous dance of black aura coursing through me. 

I glanced back at her, my smirk widening slightly. "Stick around and find out." 

"Grrrrrrrrr!!!" The priest let out a guttural roar, his claws slashing through the air as he lunged at me. The fight was about to begin, and for the first time, the room wasn't just filled with fear 

—it was charged with chaos.